Fork in the Road
by Lady Azura
Summary: Zoe and Grace figure out where they stand. Cardivas. Oneshot.


Summary: _Zoe and Grace figure out where they stand._

Disclaimer: Don't own _Degrassi_. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: You knew it was coming. Cardivas (not Gracevas. Not Zace. _Cardivas._ Say it with me, guys) is the ship I didn't know I needed until it was actually happening. I should know better than to get emotionally invested lest the writers fuck this up (which they undoubtedly will) or drag it through the mud (also a possibility) but I couldn't help myself. I was getting all the feels throughout _**Don't Look Back**_. So here it is… my sort of prediction about how I think things will play out when the show picks up again.

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 **Fork in the Road** **  
** _ **By: Lady Azura**_

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The party was in full swing, with music blaring, bodies melding, bottles clinking and the inevitable hangovers just around the corner. As usual, the "small get-together" at the Hollingsworth estate had quickly turned "wild teen bash" once word got out and now more than half the school was there for one last summer hurrah before classes started back up. _Not_ so usual, Zoe found herself the odd one out, being the only seemingly _sober_ presence there while the rest of her peers made drunk asses of themselves.

' _Is that what I looked like?'_ She thought with a grimace.

She hadn't planned on going but Tristan had insisted on dragging her along, citing that they'd barely hung out all summer (which was partially his fault, if she recalled correctly) and needed to catch up… before promptly abandoning her to talk to some kids from the Drama Club. She sighed, scanning the vicinity for potentials to mingle with but to no avail. The girls from Power Cheer weren't particularly fond of her after she "forced" them to participate in Degrassi Nudes, so they were out of the question; Miles, ever the _gracious_ host and her sort of summer-fling was nowhere to be seen; she and Frankie, while talking, still weren't on the best of terms yet and most everyone else there still blamed her for the ban on cell phones. Which left…

A drunken giggle alerted her to the _very_ affectionate couple nearby that she'd been trying to ignore for the past ten minutes.

Under normal circumstances, they were tolerable company, but Maya and Zig had obviously had a bit _too_ much to drink and in their current state, apparently had no regard for PDA. It was almost vomit-inducing to watch Zig's hands shamelessly grope the blonde's ass as they practically devoured each other's mouths, completely lost in their own world. Looking on in disgust, she wondered what it was she ever saw in Zig Novak. Once there'd been a time when she'd thought they'd made a connection, but it seemed that all Maya had to do was bat her eyes and that was enough for Zig to be at her beck and call once more. And she _really_ didn't feel like competing with the blonde _again_ , especially when she already knew what the outcome would be.

Maybe that was why Grace appealed to her. She was the first girl – person, really – Zoe had ever been open with. Growing up on sets, she was so used to backstabbing and catty drama – even her relationship with Maya still had remnants of their rivalry, though they'd learned to be civil for the most part. She wouldn't say they were close, though. They got along well enough, but she certainly wasn't about to open up to the blonde or entrust her deepest, darkest secrets to her. But with Grace, it was different. Grace was frustrating and blunt and always pushing her buttons, but she also made her feel smart and good about herself. There was never a need to put on a façade and that was… refreshing.

A fond smile tugged at her lips when she thought about the other girl, her heart practically swelling in her chest from giddy happiness.

A flash of unmistakable blue hair caught her eye, drawing her attention to the pair of teens sitting on the other side of the pool, in a more secluded area, away from the action. Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected to see Grace – she wasn't one for parties and judging from the look on her face, she was there against her will.

They hadn't spoken in a week. Not since Zoe had kissed her on the beach and left her to think about it. She had left feeling pretty elated but once that had worn off, that initial relief of having confessed, realization and worry had quickly seized her in a vice grip. Realization that, despite Miles' insistence that Grace was "in love" with her, Grace hadn't actually responded to the kiss. Sure, that could just as easily be chalked up to shock, but what if it was more than that? What if Grace didn't like girls? What if Grace didn't feel the way she did? Had she just made a complete fool of herself and ruined the only real friendship she'd ever had? That's where the worry kicked in – the kind of worry that kept her up at night and made her second guess herself.

But she had to know for sure. Enough time had passed, she decided, making her way over. As she approached the duo, Grace was the first one to notice her, eyes meeting hers before she leaned over to say something to Tiny, who glanced back and forth between them suspiciously before sauntering off. Zoe watched his retreating back until he disappeared into the crowd before turning back to face Grace, who stared at her impassively but raised her chin in acknowledgement.

Zoe studied her face for a moment, trying to read her, but nothing betrayed what she was feeling which made Zoe nervous. She was good at reading people (usually to zero in on insecurities but that was behind her) but it was as if Grace had put up a wall, and after a summer of bonding, she didn't like that.

"Hey." She greeted awkwardly, shattering the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over them.

"Hey." The other girl said simply.

She licked her lips.

"So… we should talk."

Where had her confidence gone? Why was she so nervous? This wasn't like her. She was a girl who knew what she wanted and went after it – consequences be damned! And yet here she was, fumbling over her words like an idiot.

"Yeah." Grace's expression didn't change.

"I guess I'll just cut to the chase, then." Zoe said, and took a deep breath. "I like you. A lot. And I don't just mean as friends, I mean… I _like_ … like you."

Grace arched a brow and Zoe felt her face heat up, wishing she had at least rehearsed what she was going to say before actually saying it.

"Yeah… I figured as much when you _kissed_ me." Grace said finally, not meeting her gaze directly but instead staring past her shoulder.

Zoe huffed impatiently. "Well, do you like me _back_?"

There was a flicker of something – uncertainty, perhaps, but maybe she was looking too much into it – but it was gone a second later.

"I like hanging out with you."

That wasn't the answer she was hoping to hear.

"But you _are_ gay, right?" She asked, grasping at straws.

"Yeah." The blue-haired girl muttered. "Moneybags was right about that part, I guess."

"But you don't like _me_." Zoe concluded.

Grace didn't reply but she didn't have to.

Zoe had her answer.

It felt like someone had punched her in the gut.

 _Great_.

Just fucking great.

She'd finally found someone who she could connect with – someone who liked the _real_ her, who understood her, and who she'd fallen for – only to have it thrown back in her face. Angry tears pricked her eyes and her throat tightened, but she refused to cry.

She hadn't known what to expect. On some level, she'd known Grace wasn't going to leap up and happily confess her own undying love for her, but she'd at least thought –

She shook her head, trying to maintain her composure, but the mask she'd cultivated was beginning to crumble. She couldn't stay there. She needed to leave.

"Zoe…" Grace started, obviously sensing her distress, but Zoe cut her off.

"No, I… I get it. It's fine, it's..." she cleared her throat, her vision blurring with unshed tears. "I have to go. I'll see you around. Bye."

With that, she spun around on her heel and walked away.

oOo

When school rolled around, Zoe managed to successfully avoid Grace for a good week. It wasn't hard; their lockers were on opposite sides of the building and they only shared two classes together. She made a habit of getting there early just to steal the spots next to Tristan and Maya respectfully – just so they wouldn't be paired together for an entire semester. If Grace noticed, she didn't make a deal out of it, or maybe she didn't care. Just like she didn't care about their friendship enough to want to salvage it, Zoe thought bitterly.

It hurt. She wasn't going to lie. It felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest and stomped on. She should've known better, especially after the disastrous results of her previous romantic conquests. In Paris, the city of _love_ , Miles had dumped her for Maya; Drew, the charismatic Student Council President and guy she had stupidly lost her virginity to, only used her as a rebound after being turkey-dumped by his fiancé and Zig… there wasn't much to say about Zig. Nothing ever happened and even if it had, she was sure it would've ended the same way they always seemed to end.

Perhaps she was just destined to be alone. No one was ever going to love her. Oh, they'd pity her, sure, but they wouldn't _love_ her. It was such a grim, cynical notion, but in her experience, that appeared to be the hand life was dealing her. Her own mother's "love" for her was, for the most part, purely conditional – as long as she was a successful actress on a hit television show and the big paychecks were flowing in.

Zoe had an inkling that her mother had always been living vicariously through her, and when she'd been written off West Drive and her career had gone down the drain, her mother took it harder than _she_ had, like her dream had been ripped away from her.

Acting had never been Zoe's dream. It was just something she'd had a talent for – something she had been doing all her life – and while it had been hard adjusting to _real_ life in a _real_ high school environment, where she _wasn't_ Gatsby Garcia ruling the halls with an iron fist, she was beginning to realize who _she_ was. Not the Zoe Rivas-Gatsby Garcia hybrid she had concocted when she first came to Degrassi (and really, where had _that_ gotten her? Placed at the near bottom of the social hierarchy) but regular, high school girl Zoe Rivas. _That_ Zoe Rivas liked school; she liked Science and she liked learning new things, something she never thought she would've enjoyed until that summer.

Because of _Grace_.

It all came back to Grace and her unrequited _feelings_ for said girl. She wondered if she could still enjoy school without thinking about that – about _her_.

Why oh _why_ did Miles have to go and plant that seed?

She could've remained blissfully unaware and still been happy because at least she'd still have her _friend_. She wouldn't be going out of her way to avoid the humiliation of having to face Grace after making things weird by admitting her feelings and _kissing_ her. There was no taking that back. She couldn't even play it off as a joke or pretend like she'd been drunk.

Zoe was at a standstill and had no idea what to do.

At lunch, she found herself in the bathroom reapplying her lipgloss when the door swung open and through the reflection, Zoe saw Grace walk in, only to come to a halt when she spotted her, almost surprised to see her. Their eyes locked but neither of them said anything. Realizing there was nowhere to go, the brunette froze. Then Zoe's back was pressed up against the mirror and Grace's lips were on hers, hands planted on either side of her head, caging her between the mirror behind her and her body. Zoe considered pushing her away, just to spite her, but she didn't, nor did she return the kiss – though that was mostly because she was so taken aback that her brain and reflexes seemed to be short-circuiting. Instead, she stood perfectly still until Grace finally pulled back with a frown, looking uncharacteristically… dumbfounded.

Had she expected her to kiss her back?

Well, _tough luck_. Now Grace knew how _she_ felt on the beach.

The blue-haired girl stared hard at her for a momen before she tore her gaze away, shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Um…" The brunette started in an attempt to coax an explanation from her.

Confusion gave way to anger that surged through her veins.

How dare she!

She couldn't just _reject_ her like she had, only to corner her in an empty washroom a week later and _kiss_ her. She had no right to mess with her feelings like that. Just where did she get off thinking she could pull a stunt like –

"I like you." Grace's voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"What?" Her brow furrowed. "But you said –"

Well, she hadn't exactly _said_ anything, but it had been heavily implied that her feelings for the blue-haired girl were not reciprocated and that she had deluded herself into thinking otherwise because she _really_ knew how to pick 'em.

"Forget what I said. I'm _telling_ you I like you." Their eyes met briefly before Grace averted hers. "It was just… easier to pretend that I didn't because I've never done… _this_." She gestured between them. " _Any_ of this. I have no idea what I'm doing or what I'm supposed to do and I just… didn't want to ruin what we had." She leaned back, letting her arms fall to her sides.

Reaching over, Zoe cupped her face, forcing her to look at her.

"I don't know what I'm doing either." She confessed. "I've never liked another girl before and all my other relationships sort of… crashed and burned before they even got off the ground." She thought about Miles and Drew and the giant _what if_ that was Zig. "But I don't want this to fail before we've even given this a chance. Whatever this is."

"I don't either."

Zoe bit her lip. "So we're doing this?"

Grace rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance, before giving her a wry grin.

"Yeah, we're doing this."

A smile spread across Zoe's face and she flung her arms around the other girl's neck, hugging her tightly.

They emerged from the washroom with their fingers laced together and as they made their way down the hall, people looked on in collective bewilderment at the couple. Zoe didn't care. They could look all they wanted. Squeezing the hand in hers, she held her head high and continued on.

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 **FIN**

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 **I didn't outright mention it in the story, but I have this headcanon that Zoe doesn't drink anymore because of what happened to her the last time she was drunk. Which is why she was the only sober one at the party.**

 **Anyway… I hope you guys enjoyed.**

 **Please** **REVIEW** **and let me know what you think!**


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